I spent a couple of hours enjoying the interesting exhibits on coastal habitats, the nearby Rachel Carson Reserve, fishing as a sport (with mounted displays of local fish), watercraft (displays on its history, boat building, and types of boats for different environments), spritsails (most common type of small craft from the late eighteenth century to the middle of the twentieth century), commercial fishing (oysters, clams, menhaden, mullets, crabs), artifacts from and special focus displays on Queen Anne’s Revenge (Blackbeard the Pirate’s ship), whaling, outboard motors, Barbour Boat Works in New Bern, and equipment from live-saving stations and light houses. There is a children’s program. Children with clipboards roam the museum in search of various items from the exhibits. There is an impressive library of books of nautical interests. There are reading chairs, a fireplace, large windows, and build-in bookcases, a reader’s ideal room.

There are many amusing episodes involving the three main characters: Bucky, the mean, cynical cat; Satchel, the unassuming, sweet, innocent dog; and Rob, the human being, a writer. I read most of the episodes with a smile, sometimes with a chuckle. Much of the humor involves puns. Example: Bucky says, “Would you like your tarot read?” Satchel, “No, the rest of me is all brown. It wouldn’t match.” Favorite episodes involve Bucky’s trying to hide in a penata to infiltrate and wage war in a ferret party, Bucky dressed in an oatmeal box as El Megaroid, having superhero adventures, at the height of which Rob says, “Simmer down there, Captain Oatmeal,” the plans for the meetings of an organization of cats, The Order of the Bowl of Eternal Salmon Treats, and Satchel’s reading the self-help book, “You Are Not Your Own Master: The Art of Heeling.” Bucky’s comments: “That’s too pitiful for even dogs.”

This excellent book was one of three books on Thoreau given to me by friends at Christmastime.

McCurdy features his excellent woodblocks to illustrate images from Walden. Each letter of the alphabet represents an animal, person, or thing featured in the book, with several sentences, most of which showing the differences through time, then and now. For instance, visitors then and now and animals, such as owls, eagles, geese, hares, loons. In “Source Notes,” McCurdy presents short paragraphs or parts of paragraphs from Walden so that the reader can read the original treatment of the ideas represented in the book.

Thank you for reading. There will be no blog posting next week, January 13. Blogger’s holiday.